Celts Synced Out in Miami!

The Celtics established quickly how out of sync they were, after a week off from real basketball between Game 4 of the Knick's series and Game 1 of the 2nd round against Miami, when KG and then Rondo each committed an unnecessary intentional foul:  these silly, early fouls proved both prescient and the harbinger of things to come, things ugly, things not pretty at all, including some very questionable refereeing.

The BoxScore  tells a story that some might wish to hear:  how the Heat went to the free-throw line 32 times to the Celtics meager 18 trips.  How the Celtics received a very questionable Flagrant 1 call on O'Neal, which even the biased TV announcers agreed was a bogus call. 

But the Box cannot tell you of the Flagrant 1 that was not called on Jones when he came down hard on Paul to prevent a shot and instead of calling a Flagrant 1, the hapless refs called a double technical. 

The Box also can't tell you how bad the call was on Rondo that took him out of the game with his 3rd foul ( a phantom foul?) and the Box can't describe how hard Wade ran into a legit Pierce pick and started barking at Paul, with Paul barking back, and the wimpy-weaseled, choked up ref threw Paul out of the game with his 2nd technical.  Box don't tell everything.

You've heard of home court advantage?   The Heat had it in spades thanks to the refs.

But the Box will tell you how the Celtics stayed in the game and kept it from being a blow out:  look in the Box at the name Ray Allen and the numbers alongside that name: 

9 - 13, shooting, 69%: 
5 - 8, beyond the arc: 
3 rebounds:
3 assists:
1 steal:
25 points. 

Ray came to play.

The rest of it is regrettable and forgettable.

The game remains distasteful enough in my mouth that I can only deal with it in small doses.  More later. 

Game two can't come soon enough.